Deadman Descent
by Kiran-sama
Summary: ((Mpreg Yaoi tale with SenjixGanta)) Ganta and his beloved Senji are in for a shocker: Ganta is expecting! But how could a child possibly be raised within a cesspool such as Deadman Wonderland? And it turns out that the two lovebirds aren't the only ones excited for the baby...
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: _I'm just a tad depressed at how little SenjixGanta fics I've found... Haha... So, I have taken upon the glorious duty of penning one myself! _

_And, lo and behold, tis an Mpreg! If you have a personal distaste for them, do us all a favor and click the back button, mmmmmkay~? ^^_

_-dramatic sigh- I always thought an Mpreg with these two would be positively adorable, but do me a favor and tell me what you think of this story via review, if you would be so kind. _

_**Warning: Contains Yaoi, Mpreg and graphic violent and sexual content. **_

_Now that that's out of the way, thank you kindly once more, and please enjoy the fic!_

_Dedicated to the ever-lovely lilianarowena. Thanks for being so awesome, Love X3_

**xxx**

**CHAPTER ONE**

If there were a more uncomfortable way for a fourteen-year-old boy to awaken, Ganta Igarashi hadn't experienced it.

A painful nausea brought him to wakefulness, but Ganta tried all the harder to fall back asleep, beseeching the tide of slumber to take him under once more. However, his efforts were to no avail. That gnawing, tugging nausea in his lower abdomen rooted him to the waking world, and there was nothing he could do.

Ganta grunted softly in discomfort and pulled his knees to his chest as he lay on his side, curling into a ball in an attempt to ease his discomfort. But again, his actions were in vain. Maybe he would find relief if he walked around for a bit, he though.

Alas, no sooner had Ganta risen to a sitting position then the nausea struck with a renewed fury. Ganta clamped his hands over his mouth and ran to the bathroom as fast as his legs could carry him.

When he finished, he wiped his mouth on a towel and flushed his vomit down the toilet. He kneeled on the tile floor a while longer, not daring to move for fear of upsetting his stomach once more. As he knelt there, Ganta wondered through his nauseous haze why he felt so sick. Did he have a virus of some sort? Or maybe-

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his bedroom door sliding open, then closed again, and a few familiar heavy footsteps.

"Kid?"

Ganta felt his heart leap at the sound of his beloved's masculine voice. "In here," he called weakly.

A moment later, Senji, in all his tight-tank-top-wearing-muscle-bound-manly-man glory, was leaning against the doorway of the bathroom, one dark eyebrow raised in query and concern. "Hey, Kid, you don't look so hot," Senji commented. "Don't tell me I overdid it last night," he added with a semi-wry smile.

Ganta turned slowly to face him, shifting carefully off of his knees so he was sitting on the floor as delicious memories of the previous night flooded back to him.

_The boy lay panting after an intense release beneath his lover. The air was heavy with the aroma of their lovemaking, something with which Ganta was very familiar with by that point in their relationship. Senji grinned above him, and Ganta saw his tanned skin glow with a thin sheen of perspiration, even in the dim lighting. Their union had been rough, something else Ganta had attempted to get used to. Surprisingly enough, he found the intensity of it all to be arousing in itself._

_Senji leaned down and rested his forehead against the boy's, breathing heavily in the aftermath of his own release. Despite this, his actions were as arousing as ever, and he moved one hand down to stroke Ganta's member, eliciting a small noise from the boy and getting him up all over again. _

"_Senji..." he murmured, voice tainted with wanton desire despite his words. "We just did-"_

_The man suddenly jerked him harder, causing Ganta to cry out and cut off his own words. Senji leaned in even closer and whispered huskily into Ganta's ear, "I don't give a fuck, Kid. You wouldn't put out after my last match, saying I needed time to recover 'n shit. I haven't gotten to pound you in four days. You really think I'm settling for just one time? Naïve kid..." Senji released his younger lover's manhood and his hand travelled south. _

_"Hey, Senji! Wai- Ah!" Ganta's futile attempts at keeping the lascivious man at bay were replaced by a cry of surprise as two adept digits were inserted into his deepest part all at once. They immediately sought out and massaged his jewel of ecstasy, making the young teenager squirm and shiver. _

_Senji smirked at Ganta's developing erection. "Fuck, I pulled out, what, a minute ago? And shit, Kid, you're still so damn tight." Ganta panted heavily as Senji began a scissoring motion. "Heh," he continued. "Guess that's better for the both of us, right, Kid?" Senji's wolfish grin settled down into a predatory smile as he pushed his quivering lover's legs further apart and positioned himself between them. Ganta was done resisting. He shut his eyes and couldn't resist a moan as Senji slid his considerable length into his channel for the second time that evening..._

Ganta shot his beloved a small smile and replied quietly, "No, no, it wasn't that..." He tried his best to sound as though his nausea was affecting him much less than it actually was. "I'm just a little squeamish this morning. Nothing to worry about."

Senji's smile vanished, replaced by a flitting worry as soon as Ganta mentioned his ailment. He was most definitely not convinced. Senji was just like that. He knew that when someone claimed they were fine that that was most likely not the case at all. So, he stepped a bit closer to the boy on the floor and crossed his arms, tone laced with a mere fraction of his concern as he inquired, "You sure, Ganta? Don't you wanna go to the infirmary, just in case?" Heartless, sadistic bitch though she was, that woman was a doctor nonetheless, and as much as Senji despised it, she was pretty much the only person who he knew was capable of treating an illness, which he was adamant that Ganta had.

Ganta forced himself into some shaky giggling, and a response. "No, Senji, honestly, I'm fi-" All of a sudden, his eyes went wide and he turned and leaned over the toilet once more, the sounds of his vomiting betraying his condition to Senji, as if he hadn't known already.

When the boy was finished retching, he wiped his mouth and turned to look sheepishly up at Senji, who was evidently not amused at all, eyes hard as steel, although Ganta knew he was only concerned, albeit perhaps just a _tad_ much.

"Infirmary. _Now."_

Ganta conceded at once and rose shakily from his position from the tile floor of the bathroom, mouth open and a reply beginning to form on his tongue. But before he could get it out, his vision suddenly blurred, and his knees buckled, resulting in him falling down. He was unconscious before he hit the ground...

**xxx**

The first sign that told Ganta he was in the waking world was the piercing scent of antiseptic that slipped into his nostrils. He slowly opened his eyes to see the short-haired doctor smiling widely over him. He blinked rapidly and sat up as she stepped away to plop back down in her desk chair.

"I'm at the... the infirmary?" he murmured, not quite fully awake yet. "Where's Senji...?"

The doctor only clapped her hands together, grinning madly as though she'd just won the lottery. "He stepped outside a bit to take in the big news," she chirped giddily. Before Ganta could inquire as to just what she meant, she told him straight out. "You're having a baby, 5580!"

Ganta sat there blankly looking at the doctor for a few moments before he could come up with a response. Was this woman batty? Males couldn't have children! "But I'm a gu-"

She cut him off abruptly, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs. "The Branch of Sin is known, in rare cases, to affect the victim's body in... _special_ ways, often influenced by very, _very_ strong desires. In your case, I'm guessing, your love for your..." She paused to giggle here, as though she were some sort of schoolgirl rather than a professional adult "..._boyfriend_ caused the Branch of Sin to steadily develop a womb. I'd go into the science, but I _highly_ doubt you'd wanna hear such boring details..."

The first thing to surprise Ganta was the fact that this vile woman _knew_ about his relationship with Senji. A crimson flush replaced his pallor as he listened to her words, turning them over in their mind, trying to find some sort of reason in them. Absentmindedly, he said quietly, "So I'm... pregnant..." It was more of a statement than an inquiry, but the woman answered anyway.

"You sure are. Have been for at least a few weeks, by my calculations. It definitely explains the morning sickness and the passing out; taking care of a baby, even an unborn one, can be tough on a woma- _future parent."_ She altered her words at the end with another giggle that made Ganta's ears burn even more as he gaped at her, completely in disbelief at what he'd just heard.

The doctor's tone changed suddenly, dropping to an almost malicious purr. "This is... unprecedented. We've never had a... _pregnancy_ within these walls. A baby, in my opinion, would be a _hassle_ to take care of in a prison, especially as a death row prisoner. Unless, of course, you'd rather I rip it out of you..." The last of her words were tainted with laughter, and Ganta automatically wrapped his arms around his abdomen, as if protecting the unborn's ears from her devilish cackle. If what this woman said were true, Ganta thought, and he was going to be a parent, he swore to keep the child out of harm's way.

It was getting more and more difficult to believe the woman was lying to him by the second. His pulse sped up. Was he really going to have a child? Was there really a living, _growing_, soon-to-be-human inside of _him?_ He felt over his abdomen with one hand, eyes cast downward. It was all so much to take in, so fast. Then, as if to stall for time to take this in, he said to the doctor, meeting her half-open gaze evenly with his own. "You're lying..."

She smirked as she slipped a cigarette between her lips and lit it, an action Ganta had always thought ironic for a doctor. After taking a puff and blowing the smoke deliberately away from Ganta, she responded to his accusation. "If you don't believe me now, you sure as hell will in a few weeks, _Kid_" she retorted. Ganta dropped his gaze again. So this was all real...

Something blipped on a nearby computer, and the doctor rolled her chair over to read some sort of message. She stood up a moment later, fished a piece of candy out of her pocket, and handed it to Ganta. "Don't wait too long to ingest candy from now on, or the baby will die from the poison long before you will," she admonished. "I'm stepping out for a bit. I'll send in the _father_ so you two lovebirds can talk things over. I'll go talk to Tamaki later and have you removed from Carnival Corpse until further notice. Although, I'm afraid I can't say the same for you little loverboy." She giggled softly here before going on. "And remember-" She stopped and turned her head to face him before she left through the doorway. "If you decide not to keep it, you know where to find me..." The witch was gone a moment later

.

Not a heartbeat after the doctor had left, Senji entered the room. As soon as he laid eyes on Ganta, he rushed to his side and enveloped him in a warm, tight embrace. Before the younger could say anything, Senji breathed into his ear, voice trembling with emotion, something so unlike Senji. "Ganta I... I..." He paused to inhale deeply before steadying his voice and continuing. "You have no idea how happy I am. I don't care how, but you're having a child, Ganta. _With me._ This is so amazing..." he trailed off and pulled back, gently gripping his lover's shoulders. Again, before the teenager could say anything, Senji went on, "I love you, Kid. I really do. You know..." he looked down. "I never pictured myself as a father before. But... I'm so glad it's with you, Kid." When he looked back up, his eyes were ever so wet, so slight in degree that Ganta could hardly tell. "We'll keep the kid safe in this hellhole. You and me. Together. Okay? No matter what. I will _always _be here for you and the kid. Count on me, Ganta..." Unable to resist anymore, he claimed his beloved's lips in a tender kiss, so unlike the usual rough, passionate, horny Senji. As they parted, Senji ruffled Ganta's hair.

Ganta looked up at his love with admiration in his eyes above all else. He was glad that Senji could display such confidence, but deep down, Ganta himself was frightened. He remembered the doctor's words: _I'll go talk to Tamaki later and have you removed from Carnival Corpse until further notice. Although, I'm afraid I can't say the same for you little loverboy." _That meant Senji wasn't safe. He could die. Nothing terrified the small teen more than the thought of his lover perishing.

But, as he was pulled into a tender embrace, he let those thoughts drift from his mind. Things were alright, for the time being. And that's what Ganta planned to focus on, no matter what the future may hold...

**xxx**

Dr. Rei Takashima entered the Promoter's office, taking a long drag from her cancer stick upon entrance. "So you wanted to see me about-"

Tamaki leaned forward and propped his elbows up on his desk, foxy grin as wide as ever now that he'd discovered a new plaything. "What you messaged me earlier about 5580's lovely little bun in the oven, yes." He chuckled. "I want you to make sure that he remains alive until the delivery at all costs. I'll suspend him from any matches for the time being. See to it that he's got enough candy to keep both him and the child alive. If the baby doesn't make it..." His grin only widened. "There will be consequences. Do you understand, Rei?"

Dr. Rei nodded and smiled right back at the Promoter. "Of course I understand, Promoter, sir. The child will be delivered. And then..."

Tamaki leaned back and kicked his feet up on the desk, hands behind his head as he peered up at the ceiling of his office wistfully. "And then, the real fun begins..."

**xxx**

_-gasp- YOU MADE IT TO THE END? YOU READ IT ALL? I LOVE YOU! XD_

_PleasepleasepleasepleasePLEA SE tell me what you think. Any and all reviews are welcome, as this was my first ever fanfiction. I hope to hear from you, my lovelies, so that I can start Chapter Two ASAP!_

_Keep it real ^^_


	2. Chapter 2

_Tis I once more, with my lovely fic in tow! As always, I would GREATLY GREATLY GREATLY GREATLY appreciate any feedback you have for me. So be a dear and help an aspiring writer out, would you please, my lovelies? _.

_I'm hoping you remember the warning from the last chapter, but if not... __**BEWARE: YAOI AND MPREG, WITH GRAPHIC VIOLENT AND SEXUAL CONTENT (IF NOT IN THIS CHAPTER, THEN IN LATER ONES, SO BEWARE EITHER WAY)**_

_Once more, this story (especially every single part involving Shiro) is dedicated to my beloved lilianarowena and her awesome self._

_AND NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER ADIEU, CHAPITRE DEUX!_

**xxx**

**CHAPTER TWO**

Ganta allowed himself to be led out of the infirmary by Senji as soon as his beloved made sure he was able to walk properly now. The teen's mind was still buzzing with questions, oh so many questions. But one thing was for sure: apparently, he was going to have a baby. A _child_ was going to come out of _his_ body. That was still a very difficult concept to wrap his mind around. And the cherry on top of this confusion sundae: _his_ Branch of Sin is what allowed the pregnancy to happen in the first place, by somehow creating a womb, a _female's organ_, inside him. It was all just so weird. Ganta let his eyes wander to the ground just in front of him as he trailed behind Senj, hardly taking any notice of his surroundings.

And then, he heard the loud, feminine voice that could only belong to one person: Shiro.

"GAAAAANTAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The boy barely had time to look and see Senji turning around to face his direction, the direction of the girlish holler, before a human weight suddenly befell his shoulders, causing him to fall right onto his hands and knees. He was a mere moment from collapsing completely when the weight was lifted, and Shiro's laughter cut off as she was yanked roughly from Ganta.

Senji was not pleased. He shoved Shiro roughly against the wall and promptly squatted down to help up his smaller, weakened lover, berating Shiro all the while.

"What in the holy _hell_ is wrong with you, dumb girl?! You could've seriously fucked him up just then!" He continued to glare at the albino girl after making sure Ganta was alright to stand, keeping a supportive arm around his waist.

Shiro bounced up and down, completely unfazed by her contact with the hard wall. "Shiro wanted to see Ganta! Not Shiro's fault Ganta is weak!" she proclaimed, expression telling that she was on the verge of utilizing her signature pouting face, her mitten-clad hands curled in frustration at Senji for interrupting her Ganta-time.

Senji opened his mouth to respond harshly, but Ganta stepped forward and spoke before he could. "Sorry Shiro, but you can't do that anymore. At least, not for a while..." He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, trying to ease a bit of the soreness Shiro had caused, and patted his abdomen with the other, trying to signal to Shiro without saying aloud that he was with child (if that were actually the case, and he wasn't being bullshitted by that doctor as he'd previously thought).

The hint went right over the girl's head. She leaned down and peered intently at Ganta's abdomen for a moment before coming to her own conclusion. "Ganta is hungry! Ganta's hunger makes him weak!" She straightened up, smiling brightly once more, and clasped Ganta's hands between her own. "Ganta come eat with Shiro! Then Ganta get stronger and play with Shiro!" She bounced once more before releasing one of Ganta's hands and turning to pull him off down the hallway.

Ganta pulled his hand away gently as he could. Shiro turned to look at him in confusion, and opened her mouth to say something, but Ganta came out with it before she could form a sentence. "No, Shiro, I'm not hungry. I'm pregnant." _Apparently, _he thought to himself.

Shiro stared at him blankly for a long moment before bursting into laughter again. "Ganta is a dummy! Boys can't have babies, stupid Ganta!"

He took a deep breath and set about trying to explain his situation to her, although he wasn't sure if he was going to get through to her or not. "No no, Shiro. The Branch of Sin mutated my body, and now I can.. give birth..." The term had to be forced off of his tongue, it sounded so foreign, so wrong. "So pretty soon, Senji and I are going to have a kid, you see?"

Again, his friend was silent for a time. Then, all of a sudden, she frowned, and Ganta immediately regretted his words.

Shiro growled and then, before she could be stopped, she charged past Ganta, jumped, and kneed Senji square in the jaw, yelling furiously, "WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO GANTA?!" Before Senji could properly react, she straddled him while he was on the floor and began to ferociously barrage the big man with her covered fists, aiming primarily for his face. She got him twice before he began to defend himself, raising up his arms to shield his face from the force of her blows. Every time her fist made contact with Senji, she growled out a word. "_WHY. DID. YOU. GIVE. GANTA. A. BABY?!"_ She shrieked out the last word and brought her fist back for another tremendous blow before Ganta was able to grab it, halting her attack.

"Shiro, stop that! Having a baby's not a bad thing! Why are you-" his imploring words were cut off as Shiro dropped her fists and turned to face him, crimson eyes brimming with tears.

Her words were overcome with sobs. "Be-cause Ga-Ganta won't p-p-play with Shi-Shiro anymo-mo-mooooo-oo-ore!" She buried her face in her mittened hands and continued to weep loudly into them.

Ganta immediately patted Shiro's snow-white hair, tryIng his best to make his emotional companion feel better. "Shiro, why do you say that?"

She shook her head and continued to cry into her hands. "Becau-cau-se Gan-ta will wa-want to pl-play with the ba-a-aby an-n-d no-no-t Shiiiii-hiiii-roooooo!"

Ganta caught Senji's eye, and he flicked his head, as though to indicate, _'Get her off of me!_' The teen blinked his understanding and gently took Shiro by the arm to tug her off of Senji. She jerked away, got off of Senji on her own, and started to stumble sadly down the hallway, never once removing her weeping eyes from her mittens, muttering sobs quietly as she went. As Senji stood up and massaged his jaw in the spot he's been kneed, Ganta caught up to Shiro and laid a hand on her shoulder. She stopped, just like he'd hoped she would. The last thing Ganta wanted, or needed for that matter, was Shiro upset at him.

"That's not it at all, Shiro. I would never! Really! Please believe me!" Ganta turned her around to face him. She took her mittens away from her face, eyes red and puffy and tear stains running down her pale cheeks. Her expression, however, was one of indignation. Shiro was pouting again.

"Fine," she agreed, as though reluctant. "But only because Ganta said 'please'." Ganta relaxed and took his hand away as he heard Senji walk up to the pair of them.

"Now that that little episodes all ove-" he was cut off by Shiro again. She leaned forward, eyeing Ganta's abdomen for a second time. A small "Hm..." escaped her as she studied where the baby was supposedly growing. After a moment that seemed to drag on, she stood up straight again and patted Ganta's tummy, eyes resolute.

"Her name will be Mimi!"

Ganta couldn't help but gape. "But what if the baby's not a gi-"

"Shiro knows that Mimi will be a girl!" Shiro puffed out her cheeks, as if to prove how right she was.

The teenage boy cringed at the name of his late friend from school. He couldn't resist seeing her decapitated head once more in his mind, her final, lasting expression one of absolute terror... Before he could reject the name himself though, Senji spoke, voice deep and resolute, "No way! If it's a girl, we should name her Haruko! It's a cooler name than Mimi!" He turned to look down at his lover for support. "Right, Ganta?"

Ganta was taken aback by the sudden question, one he was not prepared for. Why did they have to decide on this now, of all times? He hadn't known he was pregnant for fifteen minutes yet, and his lover and his companion were already fighting over names! "Eh... uh..." he attempted to stutter out a reply, but soon Shiro had spoken up again, bashing Senji's name choice. And then, they were at it again, yelling loud enough for all of G Block to hear, the fourteen-year-old was sure. Now, if only he could find a solution. Maybe a mix between the two names, to stop them from quarrelling...

"Harumi!" he declared, looking from Senji to Shiro and back again. "We'll call her Harumi. It's got parts of both names. So her name will be Harumi, got it, you two?" He watched as both of them looked at the ground, slightly miffed and partly ashamed at having their heated debate resolved by Ganta. But Ganta knew he had the agreement of both, however begrudgingly given it was. Shiro muttered under her breath, "Hmph. Fine. Stupid Senji. Shiro liked Mimi..." Before Senji could respond to that and ignite the whole battle over again, Ganta clapped his hands together.

"How about we go get something to eat?"

**xxx**

Later that evening, after a long day of trying to keep Senji and Shiro from killing each other after the morning's incident, Ganta lay on his stomach on his older lover's bed, recovering from the taste of that horrible candy the doctor had given him earlier. If it kept him and the child safe from that damn poison, it was worth it. However, it made him a tad queasy, making the teen groan inwardly in despair. Darn nausea was only supposed to come in the morning, wasn't it?

Not only that, but he'd long since registered a dull ache in his lower back. Or at least, what used to be a dull ache. At the moment, it was more like a stabbing, throbbing pain. How he wished it would go away...

Without completely realizing it, he made a soft moan of discomfort. Senji, having just stepped out of the bathroom, obviously heard it, and, as if sensing what the problem was automatically, stepped over to the boy on his bed and began to massage his lower back with small circles. "Sit up," came the masculine voice, rife with concern. Ganta rolled over and did as he was told, and Senji immediately unzipped the top part of his little love's prison jumpsuit and slid it from his thin shoulders. Then, he motioned for Ganta to lift up his arms as he rolled his black undershirt up and off of the boy, tossing the garment aside.

Unable to stop himself, Senji leaned down and nipped lightly at his lover's collarbone, simaltaneously running one of his tan, calloused hands over Ganta's bare abdomen. He moved his lips upward to whisper into Ganta's ear, "Harumi? I actually like it. Good call, Kid. Dead center." He laughed quietly and pecked the blushing boy on the lips before murmuring a gentle command, "Turn over."

The teen obliged, once more on his stomach. He sighed as Senji set both hands to work this time, massaging his aching muscles with surprisingly deft hands, the same hands that would hold him and caress him at night. And oh, how Ganta loved it.

As he slowly found respite from the pain, he murmured softly, "Hey, Senji? This kinda reminds me of that day. You know..." Senji nodded silently. The day Senji had fessed up and told the teen that he'd liked him, _like_ liked him. Ganta'd hurt his shoulder muscle lifting weights (which had been Senji's suggestion in the first place). Hardly thinking, Senji offered to massage it for him. And so, just touching the boy's bare skin for the first time had the word gushing from his mouth, how he'd steadily developed feelings for the kid ever since his first defeat and such. Hearing Ganta reveal that he'd felt the same way had made Senji so _damn _happy, the joy and relief reverberated within him even now, as he massaged his little lover once more.

Senji smiled and sighed happily. Hearing Ganta's small, childish voice automatically put him in a good mood without fail. He was actually about to speak when he heard the door to his room burst open.

"Hey-!" he cried in surprise as he whirled around to see who dared intrude upon his happy moment alone with the one he loved. Both Senji and Ganta felt their hearts drop into their stomachs when they saw Shiro, one hand on her hip and the other gesturing to Senji and the shirtless Ganta.

"See? Shiro wasn't lying!" A moment later, the familiar figure of Yoh appeared, eyebrows raised high as he took in the scene. Immediately, he turned bright red and took a step back.

"Er- I see that, um, Shiro. You were right a-after all..." Yoh stammered, and Shiro nodded triumphantly.

All of a sudden, as if snapping out of a trance, Senji grabbed Shiro hard by the shoulder. "What the hell is your damage?!" he angrily exclaimed. "Have you ever heard of knocking, you stupid girl?!"

Shiro stomped her foot in frustration and smacked Senji's hand away. "Yoh didn't believe Shiro! Shiro said Ganta liked Senji! Yoh called Shiro crazy! Shiro is _not_ crazy! Shiro is right!" Yoh was turning a deeper red by the second. But he wasn't the only one.

Senji was steadily growing more and more angered.

"God dammit! Now this little pissant's gonna run 'n blab to the whole fuckin' place!"

Yoh quickly shook his head. "No way! I won't say a word. Swear." Of course he wouldn't. Yoh was terrified of what that muscle-bound Deadman might do to him.

Senji, however, still seemed unconvinced. Ganta, having since put his shirt back on, reached forward and tapped his beloved on the shoulder. "Yoh won't. I know he won't. Really." The boy smiled reassuringly.

Suddenly, Shiro started jumping up and down. "Oh! Oh! Oh! Yoh! Yoh! Ganta's having a baby!" She pointed right at the pregnant teen, eyes alight with naïve mirth.

Yoh's jaw dropped. "Uh... What...?"

Senji sighed irritably and massaged a temple. And so, Ganta began to explain this whole situation to his other companion...

**xxx**

Promoter Tamaki sat leaning back in his chair, feet propped upon his office desk, humming an upbeat tune to himself as he contemplated joyfully how perfectly his plan was going to come together.

The next phase began with the elimination of that Crow. He was an obstacle. Or at least, he would be, should he be allowed to live. Tamaki just couldn't have that. That foul bird would get in the way of him acquiring what could possibly be the most entertaining, worthwhile plaything of , he would be eliminated, paving the path to success for the ever-grinning Promoter.

Tamaki grinned to himself even wider. How perfect, how oh so _perfect_. But, the man wondered, how far would the Crow go to remain alive to defend his mate and future hatchling?

Tamaki couldn't wait to see.

**xxx**

_I honestly didn't expect this chapter to be this long O.o but oh well. I hope you enjoyed. Please review, my lovelies, so I can hear your oh-so-important opinions! Until next time!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note:_

_I swear, after reading the feedback you lovely people provided for me, I was the happiest soul in the known universe._

_Seriously. Thanks. ^^ Please keep up with the feedback. You guys rock. I love you!_

_I'm going to warn you right now, this chapter ends with a cliffhanger XD Sorry, but I just LOVE pissing you people off! :D JK. But honestly, I just think it was an amusing (I feel horrible for using that term) way to end this critical chapter. Other than that AGGRAVATING (FOR YOU, HAHA) detail, please do enjoy Chapter Three ^^_

_As always, dedicated to lilianarowena, my very own Shiro._

**CHAPTER THREE**

The four times Ganta went over his current... _condition_ to Yoh, he mentally swore that Senji was looking angrier and angrier by the moment...

Yoh made another confused "Uh..." sound, and Senji had _had_ it.

He turned quickly to glare down at the brunette. "God, you're so _fucking_ dense! Lemme put it in simple terms for you, _punk:_ Ganta's _pregnant_ with _my _child. In nine months, there's going to be a little baby girl named Harumi joining us. You obviously can't comprehend the details, so there's no point in going over them. You didn't need to know anyway. Punk-ass kid." Ganta had half a mind to tell Senji to be nicer to Yoh, but that in and of itself was a lost cause, he knew. Yoh visibly bristled, clenching his fists and tensing, and for a moment, Ganta thought he was going to lash out at Senji. Hopefully, he would realize that that would be a horrible idea...

Wishful thinking.

Yoh was offended. And when Yoh was offended, much like Senji, he was bound to get mouthy.

So, he crossed his arms and glared right back at Ganta's tall lover, completely disregarding the fact that Senji could easily _destroy _him if he really wanted to for the time being."Hey, watch it, you damn psycho freak! What, I don't have a _right_ to be confused that a _guy_ is _pregnant?_ Have you even stopped to _think_ about just how _fucked up_ that i-"

Yoh never got to finish his sentence, because Senji had snapped at that point and lunged at the smaller brunette, grabbing a hold of his throat and lifting him so high his feet couldn't even touch the floor anymore. Yoh coughed and sputtered, struggling for breath as he clutched in vain at the bigger man's wrist, desperate to remove his lethal grip. _"You little shit,"_ Senji hissed menacingly. _"You wanna die, punk?"_

At once, Ganta hopped off the bed and rushed to grab Senji around the waist, trying to get his attention and call him off at the same time. "Se- Senji! Stop it! Let him go, right now!" he implored his lover, hoping with all his might that this wouldn't escalate any further. He vaguely registered Shiro peeking out the doorway, but for the most part, his attention was centered on the possibility that the father of his future child may or may not kill his friend. _For the love of God!_ thought Ganta. I'm_ the pregnant one. Shouldn't I be the one at people's throats?_

Much to the relief of the teen, Senji seemed to heed his words. The muscular man dropped Yoh unceremoniously onto the floor, then made a disdainful _'che'_ sound, then crossed his arms and looked away, muttering something under his breath in a rather indignant tone. Shiro seemed oblivious to all that had just taken place, wandering over to Ganta to silently observe his abdomen. He paid her no mind, but watched as Yoh shakily rose from the floor, breathing deep and ragged. His eyes burned in fury, but Ganta knew he would say nothing more to provoke Senji.

All four heads in the room swiveled to regard the door as a new voice made present another observer, and Ganta was unable to resist a shudder of apprehension at the newcomer, once she made herself noticed to all.

"Christ, Yoh. What kind of man _are _you?"

Minatsuki Takami leaned in the doorway, arms crossed and her expression both sour, condescending, and mischievously amused all at once. She licked her lips, and Ganta shuddered again. Although they'd both begrudgingly accepted the other's existence, she still creeped him out sometimes. Most of the time, actually.

It was hard for Ganta to tell if Yoh relaxed or tensed up at the sight of his (for lack of a better term) psychopathic sister. Either way, he blinked and said, "Oh, hey sis! Er... What're you doing here?"

His sister clicked her tongue as her expression shifted to one of irritated darkness. "You _fuckwads_ are so damn loud, I wouldn't be surprised if all of G Block heard that our favorite little _bitch_ is having a baby..." She giggled in her odd way, turning her eyes on Ganta. "Jeez, you've gotta be _quite_ the _bitch_ for your own body to give you a vagina. I mean, really." For the sake of not starting another argument, Ganta refrained from pointing out that he did not, in fact, have a vagina. Minatsuki's laughter grew, as though this whole situation was the funniest thing she'd ever seen, and she raised an eyebrow. "So, if I wanted to fuck Yoh in the ass _really_ bad, I'd grow a dick? Is that it, _pussy?"_ She stuck her tongue out and flicked it at Ganta, taunting him.

Senji moved forward to threaten Yoh's younger sister, but Ganta reached out and took hold of his thick, tanned wrist. Frowning softly at Minatsuki, Ganta commanded quietly, "Get out, Minatsuki. I mean it."

The single-braided girl scowled, inwardly disappointed that her prey hadn't displayed more emotion on that cute face of his. Perhaps next time, she'd get him to squirm, she told herself. She promptly resumed her smirk once more and turned on her heels, preparing to leave the room. But before she was out of earshot, she delightfully hissed a comment directed at the fourteen-year-old.

"Wonder what'd happen if that _lover_ of yours dies. That sure would suck for you, wouldn't it, Pecker?"

Ganta immediately opened his mouth to reply, before shutting it on his own and looking dejectedly at the ground as he actually, to his horror, began to take Minatsuki's words into consideration. While he did this, Minatsuki left the room and started down the hallway, and Yoh glanced from Ganta to the doorway and back again, before making the decision to leave and hurry after his sister for one reason or another, without saying another word to the three left in the room.

All the while, Ganta's mind started to race. His pulse accelerated and he began to absentmindedly bite his tongue. What if Senji died? Hadn't that doctor woman hinted at something like that earlier? That Senji would still be in Carnival Corpse? So there really was still a chance that his beloved might be killed. Even in a crucial time like this, when he was needed the most, _he could still die..._

Immediately after this sickening thought, Ganta was overcome with a wave of despair, and he fell to his knees, doubled over, and he started to cry. At once, Senji kneeled by his side and pulled him into a protective embrace, stroking the boy's hair and trying his best to be soothing.

"Don't mind that two-bit hussy, Kid. She's just trying to fuck with your head, that's all. She's got some problems..." Seeing that this did not appear to cheer up his little lover in the least bit, Senji planted a kiss on his forehead and decided to address the real issue. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna die on you, Ganta."

That seemed to do it. The boy looked up at the man he loved, large, dark eyes wet with his tears. Senji hated to think it, especially in a moment like this, but _God_ was this kid adorable! He tried his best not to turn red in the least when his love's lips formed a reply in a small, tentative voice, "Do you promise?"

The man gazed deeply into Ganta's eyes, reddened by tears, and nodded slightly, allowing his signature smirk of confidence to present itself. "Are you kidding me, Kid? Like I'd let myself die in that cage to some fuck-up freak. And..." Senji pecked his lover on the nose, a gesture Ganta couldn't help but smile at. "...Like I'd let someone take me from you two." He patted Ganta's lower abdomen good-naturedly. His efforts were not in vain, as Ganta's face had lit up even more, and he threw his arms around Senji's neck, hugging him tightly. The boy couldn't stop the flow of relieved tears, and he buried his face in Senji's shoulder, trying to press as close as possible to the one he loved the most. Senji rubbed little circles on the small of his back, and Ganta was becoming more and more convinced by the moment that nothing could break them apart.

"Ganta!"

The teen released Senji and leaned back to see Shiro, arms crossed and an almost pained look on her face. "What's wrong, Shiro?"

The albino girl uncrossed her arms and started waving them about erratically. "Shiro wanted to say something!" She growled, as though frustrated, and stamped her foot on the ground.

Ganta and Senji blinked in confusion at the irritated girl. Ganta inquired, "What did you want to say then?"

Shiro pounded the sides of her head soundly, as if that would help her any. "Grr... Shiro forgot! Ganta!" She took him by the shoulders. "Ganta, help Shiro remember!"

The boy was taken by surprise, and he took Shiro's hands off his shoulders, holding them by the wrists in front of him. "Er, did it have anything to do with..." His eyes caught some crumbs on one of her mittens. He dropped the other one and gestured to her crumb-speckled mitt. "...food?"

The girl took her hand away from Ganta's to scrutinize it herself. Thankfully, the crumbs seemed to jog her memory. She looked back to Ganta and smiled. "Oh yeah! Shiro remembers! Shiro got Ganta a cookie, but Shiro ate it! Shiro sorry, Ganta!" The teen couldn't help but laugh. Shiro was a piece of work.

But her odd, eccentric humor was welcome to him, especially at a time like this. Shiro and Senji both had brightened his spirit more than Ganta had thought possible then. He hadn't felt this lighthearted in a very long time. It made him think that maybe, just maybe, things would be alright.

**xxx**

Early the next day, Dr. Rei Takashima stood once again in the abhorrently childish office of Promoter Tamaki. God, she hated it in there. But it's not as though she could say anything about it. Sighing inwardly, she pulled out a cigarette and lit it, blowing a substantial plume just above the Promoter's general direction. He didn't appear to mind, but then again, he never appeared to mind anything, with that fox-like grin of his. Why did he have to be so damn creepy all the time? And people thought _she_ was fucked up in the head. Not denying that fact, of course.

She decided to speak. "So, the match is today, isn't it? Maybe this time, I'll get to pull something much more interesting out of Crow, mm?"

Tamaki began to giggle, and Dr. Rei knew she'd said something wrong. "_Au contraire_, Doctor. If everything goes according to plan, poor Crow won't make it to the chopping block. I apologize, but he has a much more important role to play, you see. His opponent is none other than our delightful little ray of sunshine, Vulture. You remember him, don't you?"

The woman suppressed a shudder. Of course she did. Immediately after she heard the code name, she knew exactly what Tamaki's plan was. "You plan to kill Crow?"

The childish yet clever Promoter propped his elbows upon his desk and leaned forward, Cheshire grin seeming to gleam with even more intensity as his excitement appeared to grow. "To put it simply. I trust that our bloodthirsty friend will take care of the job correctly, with little hassle."

Rei gulped despite herself. "If I may ask, why do you wish to kill him?"

Tamaki clicked his tongue, then sighed. "And here I thought you were supposed to be intelligent, Rei," he smirked condescendingly, and Rei felt herself bristle on the inside. "The Crow is an obstacle for the cause, you see. Do you understand how much more difficult it would be to obtain the child once it were born if we had to deal with him then? So, don't you agree that it's better for us to eliminate him now, rather than later?"

The doctor replied hastily, "But sir, the stress it could cause 5580 may or may not-"

Tamaki cut her off. "We have ways of keeping Woodpecker alive, even if he wishes not to be. But the important piece here is the hatchling. If you feel that, after Crow's death, Woodpecker's condition may prove to be a hazard to the unborn child, feel free to let me know, so that we can apprehend him as soon as possible, and make sure that he can keep the child alive." He paused momentarily, sighing as he went on. "And, if we absolutely must, we can always extract the fetus and keep it alive using other methods, if Woodpecker seems unfit to develop it himself anymore. However, I would prefer to keep things as simple as possible. You understand, yes?" The doctor only nodded, but this seemed to please Tamaki as he finished addressing her. "Fantastic, Rei. Now, I would like for you to regularly check up on our little bird, especially after Crow's 'untimely demise'. Neglect of this duty will result in severe repercussions. Do I make myself clear, Doctor?" Another nod.

"Thank you for your invaluable cooperation, Rei. You are dismissed. I expect regular reports on 5580's condition. Good day~" And with that, he waved her away, and Rei left, relieved and buzzing with excitement all at the same time. Despite herself, she was very curious as to whether or not this scheme of the Promoter's would succeed. She would find out soon enough, she reasoned. The results of the match would surely determine its success or failure. However, the sadistic woman found it very difficult not to be too disappointed that she would not be able to rip something else out of an unfortunate loser that day...

**xxx**

It was getting to be somewhere in the early evening, and Ganta lay face-up on his bed, hands behind his bed, brows furrowed and mouth shifted into a small frown. He had hardly seen Senji at all that day, and it bothered him. _A lot. _The boy checked Senji's room, looked everywhere he could think of, even asked Shiro where he might have gone. Nothing. At that point, his chest felt heavy with longing, and he wondered just why his lover wasn't to be seen.

Just then, the television suddenly sprung to life, a loud, lively announcer proclaiming that another Carnival Corpse match was about to begin. Ganta automatically sat up, a knot of dread forming in his stomach. It couldn't be... It just couldn't be... _No..._

**xxx**

Senji felt hatred burning within him as the bright lights descended upon the giant birdcage and the match was introduced. How _dare_ those underhanded lackeys _abduct_ him and force him so suddenly into a match? What pissed him off the most, however, was that he hadn't been able to at least talk to Ganta beforehand. The kid must've been so worried, not being able to see him all day and then suddenly having to watch him fight for survival? It must've been horrible for him. How dare they do this to his Ganta...

He finally looked down from where he'd kept his eye trained on the many hovering icons outside the birdcage to gauge his opponent as the announcer drew closer to starting the match. He felt his blood run cold at the sight of the old, infamous legend of the cage: Vulture, in the flesh.

A tall man with lean yet defined muscle stood at the opposite end of the cage, grinning madly up at the icons. He sported a long, bloody red mohawk and several piercings and tattoos. To the average, uninformed onlooker, Vulture just looked like some punk from the inner city. But to those who were well versed in Carnival Corpse and its fighters, Vulture was a nightmare in the waking world, an undefeated monster who made a point never to leave his opponents alive. Or in one piece, for that matter. It was simply a miracle that Senji himself had never been forced to fight him, and for that he had been thankful. But now...

Adrenaline shot through his system in a constant pulse as the opening announcements drew to a close. His mind was racing. He had to win this fight. He had to. For Ganta. His love. His child... His Harumi...

For them, he vowed, he would win. No matter what.

Senji was able to take one last substantial breath before the announcer opened the match.

"_Deadmen, bleed!"_


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note:_

_Wow. Chapter four already. Would you look at that. Wow. Such an intense part, too. For that very reason..._

_**BRACE YOURSELVES. VIOLENCE IS COMING.**_

_Perhaps I'll get back to some sexytimes too in later chapters. We'll see XP_

_Lilianarowena is my homie. As always. Thank you, ma bon amie._

**xxx**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

"_Deadmen, bleed!"_

For the first time in all of his career as a Deadman, Senji took a step back as soon as the fight began, feeling chilled to the bone by his opponent. Inside, however, he was angry at himself. It wasn't like him to back away from a fight. His instinct was telling him to get out of there, more specifically to get to Ganta, to hold him tight and let him know that everything was okay, that he would be there for him no matter what. And that settled it. He was going to win. There was no other option. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if he were to die. Ganta would be all alone... No telling how that would affect the child...

Senji growled and slashed his arms, promptly forming his claws as his enemy began to advance. He'd watched Vulture fight enough to know his strategies. At least, he hoped so. He _really_ hoped so. Vulture's Branch of Sin wasn't something to sneeze at, however. Senji only just held back a shudder as he thought of what could happen if he let his guard down, even for a moment, once the fight got underway.

This was probably the first moment in his life that Senji actually _feared_ to start fighting for his life, other than his first match or two in Carnival Corpse. This fear might as well have been new to him altogether. Against his conscious will, he took another step back. _Dammit! Get your shit together! Ganta's watching. He needs to see you win. Do this for him..._

By the time he'd thought this, though, Vulture had begun his prowl, bloodthirsty gaze locked on Senji as though he were a bird of prey himself, and Senji was his vulnerable prey. Again, Senji mentally berated himself for the spike of fear that shot down his spine. Back in his days as a cop, he wouldn't have thought twice about hauling ass right up to that punk and cutting him in half. But now... he knew better. Or at least, he thought he did.

When Vulture had approached him to within about a ten-meter radius, Senji swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and started to step towards his dangerous opponent, blades brandished and at the ready. And then, just when the tension was at its peak, Vulture stopped walking, continuing to eye Senji with murderous hunger. Then, slowly, as if drawing the moment out, the mohawked Deadman raised the palm of his hand to his mouth. Senji halted his advancement, watching in stunned rapture as his opponent stuck out his tongue, on which, Senji spotted even at his current distance, a spiked piercing. Vulture licked his palm slowly, jabbing the piercing into his skin and dragging his tongue across his palm, tearing open a sizeable slice. Blood ran from the incision and a few drops fell to the ground of the cage. Senji was oddly disgusted. He'd seen worse, so he wasn't sure why this was the case. Then again, not even five minutes into the battle, he was experiencing quite a few of foreign feelings.

Vulture repeated the process with his other palm until it was just as mangled and bloodied as the first. Senji's opponent then bent his arms at the elbow and held his profusely bleeding palms face upward in front of him. Senji found it difficult to tear his gaze from the wounds, observing with an unexpected curiosity as the punk-esque Deadman activated his Branch Of Sin.

Long tendrils of Vulture's blood twisted together in the air above his palms, entwining and merging together until the man had formed two blood-spikes, each about as long as his arm, hovering just above each of his palm. The tattooed young man grinned even wider, expression nothing short of malicious and sadistic. And then, Senji realized how much of a terrible mistake he'd made.

_Shit!_ Senji had realized just how much time he'd wasted _staring _at the punk to attack him while he was still unarmed! Thoroughly angered at himself for losing such a valuable opportunity, he ran forward, throwing caution to the wind, right up to Vulture and slashed at his face.

That was another mistake. His blade never hit his target.

Immediately, there was a pain in his side. A horrible, nigh-unbearable pain. Although he'd had his share of blows throughout his bloody career, he'd never felt something quite like this. It felt like his side was getting ripped wide open and then some, yes, but there was something more.

When the high-pitched whirring sound reached his ears, finally registering through the horrendous pain, Senji suddenly knew why it hurt so damn much.

The spinning drill was unceremoniously ripped from his side, which was gushing his crimson blood, and Senji unintentionally dropped to one knee, teeth gritted in agony. And then- he heard a slightly maniacal chuckle. He looked up to see his opponent grinning down at him, eyes darker than black, yet alight with devilish mirth. His voice was dark and raspy, easily able to send unwelcome shudders down Senji's spine, for which he promptly berated himself.

"Hey there, _Pops_," the punk taunted, words laced with a strange accent and half-sane chuckles. He licked his pierced lips and continued, "I don't like that look in your eye. I don't _frighten _you, do I?" Another mad laugh. Vulture raised a studded eyebrow, gaze looking even more crazed than ever. "Don't worry... I'll just take out your eye, then!" Suddenly, his voice deepened to a startling throaty growl. "And while I'm at it, _I'll puncture your fucking brain, Old Man."_

Without hesitation, Vulture jabbed the whirring drill protruding from his palm down, aiming right for Senji's remaining eye.

**xxx**

Ganta did not want to watch this. This was horrible! Beyond that! He had an awful feeling about this match. But that aside... Why hadn't Senji told him he was fighting? Did he not want him to worry? Ganta bit down hard on his lip. Stupid Senji! Not telling him about his fights only made him worry more, didn't he realize?

He felt his eyes well up with tears. This guy, the one he was fighting, he just looked so dangerous! That Branch of Sin of his only made Ganta worry more for the safety of his beloved. The teen squeezed his eyes shut tightly. _Senji can't die, he won't die. He'll come back, and he'll call me stupid for worrying so much... Yeah... _

His eyes opened slowly, unwillingly. He didn't want to, but he couldn't resist watching. He had to see Senji beat this guy. He had to-

All coherent thoughts were driven from his head when he saw Senji being stabbed in the side. As he watched blood spurt in inordinate amounts from the body of his loved one, Ganta felt his stomach churn and vomit coming on. He clamped his hands over his mouth and doubled over on his bed, trying to keep his insides down as he processed what had happened. The vile image replayed itself over and over in his mind. That didn't help his nausea any. Simultaneously staving off vomit, he forced himself to look up again. Immediately, he wished he hadn't.

The tears finally fell as he watched the drill jab straight towards Senji's eye.

"Senji!"

**xxx**

Promoter Tamaki sat comfortably in his office chair as he watched his plan unfold, grinning in victorious delight. Everything was going perfectly. Crow was off his game, he observed. Just as planned. There was no way in a frozen-over hell that he would survive the match. Not with Vulture, who'd been out of the cage for such a long time.

The audience of hovering icons conversed with one another, murmuring this and that about how delighted they were about Vulture's comeback, or how poor Crow was done for. It only made Tamaki grin wider. Not only did he get to _watch_ as a giant obstacle of his was eliminated before his very eyes, he got to improve publicity by doing so.

And soon, his efforts would yield their reward.

**xxx**

The ex-cop acted reflexively, leaning back in the blink of an eye, watching as the spinning spike drove through the space previously occupied by his head. Adrenaline-fueled thoughts ran through his mind. _Damn... That punk could've hit me dead center... Shit! Do something!_

Hastening to act before Vulture did, Senji did the one thing that immediately came to mind. He was glad he thought of it, too. It probably saved his life just then.

He slashed upwards with one arm, using all of the strength he could spare, and severed Vulture's arm at the elbow.

Senji spared just enough time before his next move to watch as the punk's expression morphed into one of complete and utter shock. Senji grinned. _Dead center. _ After that moment of satisfaction, he brought his leg up, bent it at the knee, and kicked his opponent square in the chest. Vulture fell backwards without resistance. A heartbeat later, Senji was up. Holding his still-leaking wound with one arm, he staggered forward to stand over his opponent.

Suddenly, Vulture's face morphed into one of unbridled contempt. He started shouting unintelligible curses, and reached up in a feeble attempt to injure Senji again with his drill. Senji lifted his boot and brought it down hard onto Vulture's arm. He felt bone snap and fought the urge to cringe as he heard his opponent's agonized howl. Ganta didn't need to be hearing that. Senji delivered a swift kick to Vulture's face, knocking the punk out cold. That's what he assumed, anyways. He didn't bother to check. The match was over, either way.

Senji sighed deeply and turned away as he was announced the winner and Vulture was promptly removed via stretcher. The Crow dissolved his blades and rubbed a temple, thinking only of Ganta at that moment...

**xxx**

Tamaki sighed, a twitch in his expression the only other sign that he was displeased. He removed his goggles, leaving the audience to their surprised commentary, and leaned forward to regard Dr. Rei.

"Go do your thing, Doctor. I hope it's something good this time." The woman nodded her agreement, but she hesitated to leave. Tamaki raised a brow, interest piqued. "Is there something you wanted to ask, Rei? You know I'm open to questions."

Rei looked up from the ground and snuffed out her cigarette in a nearby ashtray. "I was only wondering... Did you have a backup plan?"

Tamaki resumed grinning as wide as usual. "I suppose you could say that. We're just going to do things the straightforward way. Though, we'll have to wait to set that plan into motion, dear Doctor. Now, run along and have your fun~" The woman nodded curtly, smiling a bit, and left.

The Promoter sighed once more and fiddled with one of the several toys on his desk. That old saying, 'If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself' came to mind. Well, now he knew just how true that was.

He gnashed his teeth together irritably. However, a delightful idea began to take shape in his mind. Crow would pay dearly for having hindered his scheme, and, unfortunately for him, his beloved Woodpecker would be dragged down into the suffering along with him.

**xxx**

"Senji!"

Senji barely had time to open his eyes before he was wrapped in the familiar embrace of his beloved young teen. He hardly hesitated before he hugged Ganta back, pushing aside the pain in his side, which had since been reduced to a dull ache. "Hey, Kid! How-"

"Shut up!"

Senji raised a brow in confusion as Ganta's embrace tightened and he raised his voice so suddenly. He gently held the boy closer as he continued, quieter this time, in a voice that betrayed the fact that he was crying.

"Why didn't you tell me you were fighting? Do you have any idea how worried I was?" Ganta shakily asked into Senji's bare shoulder.

The injured man was silent for a long moment. Damn it! Now he _really_ wished he'd been told ahead of time about the match. "You really thought I'd go in for a match and not say anything to you? Jeez, Kid... It was just as much a surprise to you as it was to me. I got nabbed in the middle of the night, 'n woke up in some room... Next thing I knew, I was in that damn cage again. Believe me, I would've told you I was fighting if I could."

Now it was Ganta's turn to be silent. He straightened and held Senji at arm's length. "I believe you, but..." He tilted his head to one side in confusion. "Why'd they _kidnap_ you?"

Senji shrugged simply. "How should I know? Pretty underhanded, if you ask m-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the television flared to life. Animated chicken-mascot-things were giddily jumping up and down on the screen. It was time for Vulture's penalty round.

Ganta visibly blanched. Senji covered his lover's ears with his large, tan hands, and turned his head towards him, away from the screen. He smiled with all the reassurance he could muster. To his relief, Ganta smiled a smile that warmed Senji to the core and laid his head on the larger man's chest.

As Ganta made himself comfortably unaware of the events on the screen, Senji couldn't resist looking. He was curious to know what would befall the defeated legend. That bitch of a doctor pulled the lever on the machine, then stopped it after enough suspense had been built.

And it was the tongue.

Senji wrinkled his nose in disgust. He couldn't imagine having his tongue ripped right out of his mouth. Despite this, he didn't really feel all that sorry for Vulture. It was bound to happen one day. No one stays undefeated forever. Even Senji himself knew that.

The process was lengthy and grueling, and many a time Ganta would shift, and Senji would immediately worry that the boy had heard one of Vulture's gargled screams. But then, the younger would relax, and so would Senji.

Several minutes later, it was all over, and that sadistic doctor triumphantly displayed the severed tongue as though it were some sort of glorified prize. Senji narrowed his eyes unconsciously. God, he hated that woman. He took his hands from Ganta's ears, and the boy sat up.

"Poor bastard lost his tongue," Senji said without hesitation, looking away so as to not have to see that disgusted, pitying look in Ganta's dark eyes.

Before the teen could say anything, however, the door slid open, and in stepped none other than that fox-faced son of a bitch, Tamaki, flanked by two of his armored grunts.

"Aaaaah," he crooned as the two immediately tensed, Senji wrapping a protective arm around Ganta and pulling him tighter to his injured chest. "I hope I'm not _interrupting_," he chuckled, and Senji had to resist the urge to get up and sock him in his goddamn face. "I only wanted to offer my congratulations on your miraculous victory, Crow."

Before he could say anymore, Senji vehemently interjected, "Well you can shove your congratulations up your ass, you bastard!"

Tamaki's grin never wavered in the slightest, although he did click his tongue, as though chastising a small child. "Well, pardon _me_. I was just so surprised you _survived_ that I just _had_ to come and let you know!"

And then, all at once, it made sense to Senji. The kidnapping, the choice of opponent, it all clicked. _"You son of a bitch!"_ he hissed, face twisted into an expression of pure hatred. _"You were trying to get me killed!"_

The fox-faced Promoter chuckled, as though watching something amusing, and replied, "My oh my, you make it sound so harsh! And here I am, just trying to better the future of your little _spawn_-"

"What in the HELL are you saying, you cocksucking coward?!" Senji was leaning forward, holding Ganta all the tighter whilst the teen busied himself from looking from Tamaki to Senji and back again, not entirely understanding what Tamaki was getting at.

Tamaki held a hand up to his mouth and giggled like a little girl, as though he had a delightful little secret he was just itching to spill. "Oh, goodness! That, my sweet lovebirds, is a surprise. I wouldn't want to ruin it for you, or anything! Gosh, no! That would be no fun at all!"

Ganta felt his eyes widen and his stomach churn as these words were spoken. Tamaki wanted to do something to their child. _Tamaki wanted to do something with their child. _He felt his blood run cold then and there. Senji started to get up, but the process was halted by the sharp pain of his wound. The two glared darkly at the laughing Promoter as he went on.

"Well, let's just say, _Crow_," he put disgust-laced emphasis on the codename before he burst out laughing, as if everything that had happened was some sort of elaborate joke for his amusement. "Sooner or later, you're going to wish you _had_ died!" And with that, he turned, wiping a humorous tear from his eye, and waved to the two on the hospital bed.

"Toodles, lovebirds. Be sure to enjoy yourselves while you still can~." And then, he was gone, leaving the two "lovebirds" embracing on the bed, terrified by the threat on their lives, and the life of their unborn child.

**xxx**

_Eh, my apologies that this took a bit longer to write. Don't blame me. Blame midterms and Homestuck. XD _

_Oh, and a little treat:_

_Our lovely Harumi enters the world in Chapter Five! There's something to look forward to! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and remember to make me happy, lovelies, and tell me what you thought, okaaaay? Thank you as always!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note:_

_There's no better feeling that writing some good ol' Yaoi after a long week (or two...) of procrastination! And yes- this is the big chapter! You know what I mean!_

_So, warning warning, blah blah blah. lilianarowena is my main woman, awesome thing that she is. _

_And now, without further adieu:_

_Enter- Harumi!_

**xxx**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Quite some time had passed since Senji's victory and Promoter Tamaki's malicious omen. Soon afterwards, Ganta's lower abdomen had formed a noticeable bump, signalling the healthy growth of the child, and reaping endless taunts and jests from Minatsuki. Everything was running smoothly; Ganta had found that he was never low on candy at any point in time, much in contrast to when he'd first arrived at Deadman Wonderland, and he'd paid the doctor a visit daily (much to Senji's obvious chagrin), and was pleased to hear that the unborn was developing healthily. In later months, an ultrasound was also produced. Furthermore to the couple's relief, Senji hadn't been forced to fight again, a fact for which the two were very, very grateful.

The months seemed to fly by. A few arguments occurred here and there, caused more by Ganta's raging mood swings than anything. But they were taken in stride. Senji's developing paternal instincts seemed to be in full bloom at that time; Ganta was never seen without his handsomely toned lover by his side, and Senji's tolerance for Minatsuki's verbal jabs had decreased exponentially (although it had never been much to begin with). No one was sure if this sudden shift in his patience sated her or annoyed her. Either way, she stopped. Or lessened her remarks, at least.

And in no time at all, it seemed, the third trimester was drawing to an anticipated close. Everyone was awaiting the unborn youngster.

Everyone.

**xxx**

The pregnant teen lay on his back on the infirmary bed, hands folded over his distended lower abdomen, gazing through half-lidded eyes at the ceiling. He was thinking, as he had been for a while now, about just how things would change when the child was born. Ganta was pondering whether or not that doctor had been right. Was it really the best decision to raise a kid in a prison? But then, he shook his head faintly. The last thing he needed then was doubt. He had enough on his hands already. The kid was due any day now. No time to worry about things like "suggestions" that woman might have made.

He had been moved to the infirmary at the doctor's request (/demand...), on the grounds that he was apparently _"forty-one weeks in and liable to go into labor at any given moment."_ Yeah. Senji wasn't too happy about that. It had begun to seem that, lately, Senji had become perhaps even a tad more volatile than his adolescent lover. He snapped at anyone who'd even dare to _joke around_ with Ganta. God help them if it was a pregnancy joke. One time, he'd even made Shiro cry and run off with his harsh words. That had triggered another argument amongst the pair, which was quickly resolved by some romanticism on Senji's part, some kissing, so on and so forth...

In any case, Ganta had to admit (to himself, of course) that he actually thought, at least a little bit, that his relocation was beneficial in some ways. He was thinking that maybe this fatherhood pressure was starting to (Oh, who was he kidding? Starting to? Really? This had been going on for at least a month, now!)... _get to_ Senji. Maybe it actually was for the best if he took a bit of a respite from his beloved, even one that was in the form of a stay at Dr. Sadist's. Besides, he added, more to convince himself rather than anyone else that this was, in fact, the right course of action, like the doctor said, the baby would come any day now. Better safe than sorry, he reasoned.

Ganta hadn't realized that his eyelids had begun to drift together, but when his eyes were completely closed, he sighed softly and wondered for the umpteenth time just what it would be like with a little girl (as Shiro so adamantly testified) running around. In a prison. Filled with Deadmen. Whose parents were likely to be killed in a fight at any given moment... Like Senji almost had been... All the child would ever know would be the confines of G Block, deep within the hidden underbelly of Deadman Wonderland. She would never know what it was like to grow up like a normal girl... Not to mention the fact that she would've been birthed from a _guy's womb_, for the love of God...

All of these thoughts were starting to get to him. Ganta began to lightly perspire, and he gently worked his bottom lip with his teeth. So many things could go wrong. Was it worth it? Was it worth birthing a child into this hellhole? Was it alright to do such a thing? What if he or Senji were killed in Carnival Corpse later on? Things would just fall apart! What would become of the child? Would she be left all alone, to become the Promoter's new plaything? Ganta felt bile rise in his throat. No way. There's no way that could happen... It would be too much to bear...

At that moment, a horrible cramping pain blossomed in his lower back. It wrapped its agonizing tendrils around his whole lower body, it seemed. He let out a pained cry of surprise at this stabbing sensation, and he instinctively curled up into a fetal position on the bed (or as close as he could get to one).

Doctor Rei promptly rose from her place at the computer desk. Ganta tried to focus on the _click-clack_ sounds her heels made when they struck the linoleum as she walked, trying whatever he could think of, mentally, at least, to stave off this horrible pain. But it was to no avail. The pain was just too strong. _God_, it hurt...

The doctor unceremoniously pried him back into a flat position with surprising strength and pressed at his abdomen softly with her fingertips. She murmured something under her breath, then said directly to Ganta, who was quivering with pain, "Take deep breaths. It's a contraction. We'll have to wait it out and see their pattern before we can determine if it's labor. I'll be right back, so don't worry." As the fourteen-year old began taking deep breaths, he was surprised at the woman's soothing, almost, God forbid, _motherly_ tone. Wasn't she the sadistic witch that laughed as she ripped out organs and tore off extremities? She left the room, _click-clacks_ echoing slightly behind her before she closed the door on her way out.

To his sweet, indescribable relief, the white-hot stabbing pain resigned. Foregoing the doctor's instructions, Ganta's breaths reduced themselves to relief-riddled pants. Numbly, he wondered where Senji was.

He lay like that for what felt like a good five minutes, before, to his horror, it started all over again. This abdominal cramp was much stronger than the last. Ganta's pain-filled groan cut through the air of the infirmary just as Dr. Rei returned, behind her a number of others garbed in white coats and surgical masks and the like, the exact number of which Ganta's mind was too muddled to determine. Words were exchanged amongst the adults. Their conversations and preparations took enough time for Ganta to yet again repeat the horrid cycle of five-minute respite followed by horrid abdominal ache. Once the beloved respite stage commenced once more, and the murmurings of the white-coats grew more urgent. At last, as another contraction began, exponentially more painful than its predecessors, the doctors converged around him, and the birth began.

**xxx**

"Hey, Cro- uh, Senji! Hey!"

Senji looked up from the punching bag he'd just barely demolished to see none other than that brunette boy, Yoh. Senji paused momentarily to vaguely ponder what a "gen-pop" prisoner was doing in G Block at all. But then, he disregarded it. It probably didn't matter all that much. "Whaddya want, Kid?" he asked, uninterested irritation working its way into his tone. He'd been pissed off and on edge since Ganta'd been moved to the infirmary by that rotten bitch. His patience was bordering on zero. This kid had better make it quick...

Upon closer inspection, Yoh appeared as though he'd just run a marathon. He'd braced himself up by leaning his hands on his knees, slightly bent over. He was panting, too. "It's... It's..." He paused to gulp here, and Senji felt his patience thin in the slightest. But then, Yoh got to the point.

"It's Ganta! I heard... I heard he's having the kid!"

Senji's eyes opened up wide, and he stood up straight. As the full reality of the situation hit him, his eyes widened more. He charged right past Yoh, practically barrelling him over in the process, and shot off down the hallway.

The ex-cop was sure that he'd never run faster in his entire life as he was just then. He _had_ to be there. He just had to be. Senji swore under his breath, cursing Yoh for not coming to get him sooner. His child was being born, dammit! What if it was already over? If they'd done anything funny to Ganta or Harumi... _God have mercy on their souls._

And so, after what felt like a mere instant of sprinting like the devil was on his heels, Senji finally burst through the infirmary door.

A brief observation told him that he had, in fact, missed the actual birthing. It looked as if he'd missed... almost everything. There were a few doctors cleaning up and such, doctors he didn't recognize. The hellspawn bitch was nowhere to be found. But he didn't concern himself with that. He only cared about two things: Ganta's safety and Harumi's safety. Anticipation churned in his gut, and it only spiked when he laid eyes on Ganta. The boy was pale, eyes closed, and breathing heavily, laying on his side and dressed in a hospital gown. He didn't look to be in too good of a shape.

And there, gently clutched to his chest, was what appeared to be a wad of blankets. Senji could only see a small bit of thin, dark wisps of hair from his perspective. His child.

Senji approached the bed slowly, as though in a dream. His kid had just been born. _His kid_, which he'd had with the one he loved, a fourteen-year-old boy. Before he'd entered Deadman Wonderland, he'd have thought that this whole situation was whacked the fuck up. But now... Here it was, right before him. His _family_. His to love. His to protect.

As he came to stand just next to the bed, he reached a strong, tanned hand out to gently caress Ganta's pale cheek. At once, dark eyes fluttered open, and a weak smile sprouted on the boy's face as he took in his beloved. "Senji..." he murmured, as though that action in itself was draining him of the last of his strength. Senji attempted to protest as Ganta slowly sat up, still holding the small bundle to his chest, as if it was the most precious thing in the world. He pulled back a bit of the blanket from one end, completely exposing a small, pink face, brand new to the world. Faint dark strands of hair dusted the top of the infant's head. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing deep. Senji supposed that he'd missed the baby's first wails and breaths, but the view he had now was definite compensation. Tiny fists were curled up by her round face. All in all, it was one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever seen. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" breathed Ganta, looking happier than Senji was sure he'd ever seen him before. The younger shifted a bit, signalling an invitation to pick the infant up. Senji took the small, fragile bundle and lifted it up to his chest in the way he'd seen Ganta do it. His wide-eyed gaze was affixed on Harumi, mesmerized, absolutely captivated.

Ganta gazed up at the two most important people in his life through half-lidded eyes, amused at Senji's reaction to the baby. It was almost as if he'd never seen a newborn in his life, much less held one. Either that, or the fact that it was _his_ child he was holding was rendering him a bit... shocked, to say the least. Maybe it was a bit of both, though.

Senji choked back a gasp as the infantile girl opened her eyes suddenly. They were so... _big_. And round. And dark! Almost exactly like Ganta's. Combine that with the other, smaller facial features she had, and it was just about the single cutest thing Senji had ever laid his eyes upon.

And then, all three of them smiled. Ganta, Senji, and little Harumi (as far as they could tell). A serene, happy air fell over the infirmary. And with light hearts and feathery feelings in their chests, the parents of the infant believed that, for the time being, that everything was alright. Everything would be okay, forever.

Their illusion was shattered the moment Tamaki strode through the door.

He was trailed by Dr. Rei, and flanked by four masked prison personnel. A grin was splayed wide across his face. Ganta's face visibly fell, and he felt like he was going to throw up. Violently.

Senji took an involuntary step backwards, holding the child tighter to his chest. He was tense all over, his teeth clenched tightly and his eyes narrowed in contempt. The child gazed about with her dark eyes, not understanding anything that was going on. Perhaps that was for the best...

"Aaaah," he crooned, with a delighted, sadistic edge to his hated voice. "Our new friend has arrived..."

"Get your ass outta here, you bastard!" Senji growled, much to the discomfort of the infant he held, who squirmed and made a small noise in reaction.

"Careful now, Crow, you'll scare the poor girl. And that would certainly do you no good... New parents, I hear, suffer enough sleepless nights as it is. Wouldn't want to start off on the wrong foo-"

"What do you want?" demanded Ganta suddenly, with surprising strength to his voice. "Make it fast..."

The devilish Promoter nodded, as though he and Ganta were on the same 'team' here. "I do intend to, believe me." He straightened. "Now then, down to business..."

"About your little infant there..." His grin widened, although telling a joke. "In short, we'll be taking her with us now. So, Crow, no need to hold onto her so tightly-"

"LIKE HELL YOU WILL!"roared Senji. He was ready to fight, maybe even to the death, for his newborn daughter.

Tamaki clicked his tongue in an almost disappointed-sounding gesture. "Shame. It would be such an advancement in our research if we were to possess the spawn of _two_ Deadmen. That's why we need the infant so badly, see. We were actually planning on being diplomatic about this whole situation, but if that's the way you like it..." He began to raise a hand to signal to his men, when suddenly a wail pierced the air in the room.

The small child cried and cried for what seemed a lifetime, having shocked the adults into silence. This only seemed to please Tamaki more. But, whatever he was thinking, he lowered his hand and turned away, towards the door. "Enjoy parenthood while you can, Deadmen. It will not last long." He stopped just in front of the door. "I will have that child, but for now, I will give you a temporary respite. I'm feeling... merciful today. In any case, take good care of our specimen, okay?~"

And with those words that chilled the couple to the bone, Tamaki and his posse departed, leaving Senji, Ganta, and a crying Harumi in their wake.

**xxx**

_And so, there you have it!_

_Please tell me what you thought of this chapter. I'm sorry it took so long, my lovelies! I hope it doesn't happen again DX Anyways, thank you for reading this far, and I hope you enjoyed it!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note:_

_Uwah! Thank you, lovelies, for your reviews! I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter, and I'm glad you thought Harumi was cute. She is. Very cute. Sooooooo damn cute. WowI'mofftopic. _

_In aaaaany case, please enjoy and review this chapter as well. Lilianarowena, thanks for not burning me at the stake for the late release last time. That means a lot to me. X3_

**xxx**

**CHAPTER SIX**

Ganta remained in the infirmary for two days after Harumi's birth. Senji, on guard after Tamaki's approach, stayed steadfast by his side the whole time, hardly once ever leaving his new family without his presence. They had not been visited by any of their companions, but Ganta suspected that this was because they had been forbidden from entering.

Ganta's forty-eight hour confinement was now finally up. And now, the new family was able to leave the infirmary and begin their new life.

**xxx**

"GANTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! WHERE'S THE BABYYYYY?!"

The teen nearly jumped out of his skin as Shiro's voice ripped through the comfortable silence of Senji's room, where it had been agreed upon that he and the baby would stay. Harumi made a small gurgling sound as a greeting to the woman she'd never met before, albeit it was a tad obvious that she'd been frightened at least a little bit by Shiro's stentorian outburst. Ganta automatically held her closer, simply because he wouldn't put it past Shiro to do something dangerous, however unintentional.

Shiro turned her head back and forth after gracefully descending from the air vent, surveying the room for her target. When her red eyes fell on Ganta and Harumi, her face lit up in an exuberant smile. Immediately, she attempted to pounce on the two, who had been sitting on the bed, but Ganta maneuvered out of the way. The albino girl flopped down onto the bed, grumbling in the slightest at Ganta's resistance. But then, she was just as perky as ever once again, and she hoisted herself fully onto the bed and sat cross-legged facing her childhood friend and his baby.

At once, her attention was drawn to said baby, and Shiro leaned forward so close that her nose was almost touching Harumi's. As they silently held each other's gaze, it was all Ganta could do to keep from laughing. It was quite a one-of-a-kind sight, that was for sure. Something only Shiro would do, most definitely. Deeming the situation safe after all, Ganta loosened his grip on Harumi and assisted her in sitting upright, as she was still too weak to do so by herself. The infantile girl reached out with a small pink hand and touched Shiro's pale face. Red eyes widened and the albino girl released what could only have been described as a 'squee'. Ganta had to let out a hard laugh at that, causing his baby to look up at him for a moment before her attention span wore out and she returned to observing and playing with her tiny hands, discovering, little by little, how they worked.

Shiro, however, was not finished. Wanting more play time with the baby girl, she snatched Harumi from Ganta's grip and stood up swiftly, tossing the little girl up and catching her again, a bright, oblivious smile upon her face as she prepared to toss her up once more, making a delighted "Wee!" sound as she began 'playing' with the baby.

Ganta was up a heartbeat later, firmly but carefully taking his child back from Shiro. He watched as her smile fell into a look of confusion at the anger on his face. "You idiot!" he yelled at a volume that began to upset the infant he held in his arms. "What the hell were you thinking, Shiro? What is _wrong_ with you? Are you insane?!"

At this point, Harumi began to cry loudly, voicing how much her father's irritation upset her. Ganta's attention was immediately drawn from berating Shiro, and he sat down gently on the bed again, rocking his child back and forth to calm her down. As he did so, he was unaware of the change in his friend's countenance. Shiro's eyes narrowed and her bottom lip started quivering in sadness. Then, all at once, sadness gave way to frustration, and she began to yell at Ganta.

"Shiro was just playing!" she hollered defensively, shaking all over, mittened hands curled into solid fists.

Ganta glared right back up at her. Normally, he didn't enjoy getting mad at Shiro, but she had to be taught that doing something like that to a newborn baby was dangerous. So, he mustered all the anger he could and made sure it showed. "You can't do that! That's dangerous, Shiro! She could've gotten hurt!"

"Nuh uh!" she shot back, blatantly vehement, pale face having since turned a deep cherry. "Could not have!"

"Don't be stupid, Shiro! You have to be more careful!" The loud voices were most definitely not helping Harumi's current temperament, but the other two in the room were much too wrapped up in their debate to notice.

Finally, Shiro got fed up with being disagreed with. "Stupid Ganta just wants the baby all to himself!" Satisfied with her new reasoning, she turned on her heels and stalked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Ganta growled, then sighed, relaxing himself. He'd fix this mess next time he saw Shiro, he promised himself. He looked down at Harumi, whose cries had since died down but had not entirely ceased. The teen father sighed again and went back to rocking the infant, reaching to the bedside table for her bottle, filled with formula given to him by the doctor. He sat her up a bit more and pressed the bottle to her mouth. Harumi silenced her upset wails immediately and the room was soon filled instead with the sounds of her suckling. Ganta couldn't resist a smile at the sight. Looking at his baby just made him so happy, so very happy. Happier than words could express.

After a couple of minutes, Harumi pushed the tip of the bottle from her mouth with her tongue, then released a sound burp, signalling that she was sated for the time being. The infant yawned deeply, displaying her pink, toothless gums and tongue. Afterwards, she looked up at her younger father with dark half-lidded eyes and made a small, nonsensical gurgling sound. A few moments later, she closed her eyes completely, and a few moments after that, her breathing evened out and Ganta knew she was asleep. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, shifting her and laying her down carefully on her back.

He watched her in silence for an amount of time he wasn't keeping track of, though it couldn't have been too long. Suddenly, the door to the room slid open, and in walked Harumi's older father, Senji. Ganta's features brightened and he greeted his lover with a small wave and a whispered, "Hey, Senji. Did you have a nice workout?"

Senji smiled and nodded as he closed the door behind himself. His muscular arms, revealed by his skin-tight tank top (much to Ganta's delight), were covered in a reflective sheen of perspiration. He went over and planted a kiss atop the teenager's head, then ruffled his hair in an affectionate gesture, as he had been prone to doing since Harumi's birth. He really couldn't help it. It was just that every time he saw Ganta and his child together, he was overcome with a light, fuzzy feeling, and he just couldn't resist showing his affection. Sure, it wasn't very manly, but, again, it wasn't as if he could _not_ do it. The urge was just too great around those two, and who was he to refuse his instincts? Besides, it made Ganta happy. And that in itself was a bonus.

The teen blushed in the slightest and Senji grinned inwardly, feeling victorious as he always did when he elicited a reaction from Ganta. The ex-cop sat down next to Ganta and pulled him onto his lap, careful move quietly and without disturbing the infant's sleep. He rested his chin on Ganta's head, and breathed into his lover's hair. He liked the way Ganta smelled. It was hard to describe, but it attracted him.

"Saw that girl a few minutes ago," he muttered into Ganta's dark tresses. "She looked pretty pissed. What's up with that?"

Ganta groaned softly in exasperation. "She wanted to play too rough with Harumi, and she got mad when I told her to knock it off. She'll get over it soon."

Senji let out a chuckle. "Course she will..." he trailed off, and Ganta immediately sensed that there was something else on his lover's mind.

"What're you really thinking about?" the boy inquired, prepared to press further until he got the truth.

As Ganta had predicted, Senji tensed up slightly and curtly replied, "Nothing." However, he must've noticed how obvious his troubles were, so he sighed deeply, giving in without Ganta even having to waste his breath on further insistence. "It's just that... I'm just worried, is all..." Ganta turned his head upward to look Senji in the eye, his dark eyebrow raised in silent urging for him to go on. Senji exhaled a breath brimming with stress, and went on, holding Ganta tighter. "I've just been a little wired, lately, thinking about that fox-faced fuck. I'm really worried, Kid, about what he'll do next. That bastard wants our _child,_ Ganta! And I'm sure he'd do anything to get to her. That's what's pissing me off! How the fuck am I supposed to know when he'll strike next? Or what he'll _do_? Dammit!"

Harumi shifted in her slumber, slightly disturbed by her father's steadily increasing volume. But this didn't register with Senji. "I mean, what am I supposed to do if something happens to her? Or you? What if I get killed in that cage? I won't be around to protect you anymore... Fuck!" His grip was iron, and Ganta bit his lip, figuring it was best to let him blow off his initial steam. Senji said nothing more, though. Ganta felt his toned lover shaking, and he gently ran his hand up and down a tan arm, and spoke as soothingly as he could.

"We'll be okay, Senji," he murmured. "No matter what happens, we'll be okay. We've got each other, and we always will. Harumi's safe, I'm safe, _you're_ safe. Tamaki can try all he wants, but we've got each other, and that's all that matters, okay, Senji" He gazed up into his lover's good eye reassuringly and gave a small smile. Senji sighed and Ganta felt his grip relax.

"Okay, Kid. I'll take your word for it." He kissed Ganta on the cheek and mussed his hair, convincing the teen that he was alright, and that the subject had been put to rest, for the time being, at least. He knew that they'd have to deal with Tamaki sooner or later, but, for the baby's sake, they could forget about that for the time being, he hoped.

**xxx**

The Promoter tapped his fingertips against the desk, the only indication of his anger. Before him stood his most relied-upon (albeit most unstable) Undertaker: Genkaku, the "Uber Monk". Tamaki grinned wider as he mentally recapped his plan. It was perfect. Too perfect. Those damn birds were going to pay dearly, and Tamaki would finally fulfill his threat he'd made to the Crow after he'd survived his battle with Vulture. Now, he thought gleefully, the pissant really _would_ wish he had died...

"Tonight," he reiterated his command to his Undertaker. "You will act tonight. Understood, Genkaku?"

The red-haired Undertaker grinned and stuck his tongue out, a gesture of the affirmative. "Right on."

Tamaki chuckled to himself. This time, he swore, he would succeed. That damn Woodpecker and that pesky Crow would get what was coming to them, and they would soon wish, he knew, that they'd handed over the child to begin with...

**xxx**

_Yeah, this was kind of a transition chapter, which is why it's so short. I tried to make it (relatively) peaceful, but the next chapter, we get to see our heroes deal with Tamaki's shit all over again. I bet you're all looking forward to that, now aren't you? XD_

_Until next time, lovelies!_

_P.S. Happy late Valentine's Day!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note:_

_Chapter seven! And you know what that means!_

_That's right! More of Tamaki's shit! :D Bwahahah... How will our beloved pairing make it out of this little predicament? XD I just love suspense._

_I apologize in advance if Genkaku appears OOC... his personality proved difficult for me to manifest. At least, in my opinion. In any case..._

_Lilianarowena! This one's for you, girl!_

**xxx**

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

It was night, yet not a soul would've been able to tell, as the hidden G Block was deep, deep underground. A solitary figure strode down the eerily dim hallways at what would appear to be a rather leisurely pace. It was a figure that every resident inmate of G Block would have recognized, had they peeked out into the hall. A figure they would have recognized, and feared. To some degree, in any case.

The small _thump_ of the figure's footfalls and the swish of its long, robe-like clothing shifting as it went along were the only sounds coming from the hallway. It seemed as though the inmates- or the vast majority of them, at least- had retired. Lights-out tended to only be a guideline for some. The figure halted its progression by a particular room. The tall male grinned a foreboding grin. Although this was not exactly his preferred type of assignment, a job was a job, on the down-low or not.

The door opened without protest, and the man was greeted by the darkness of the sleeping quarters. Immediately, he saw a bed. Upon the bed were two sleeping figures. The grin widened. Woodpecker and Crow. Sleeping like babies. How... fortunate. Upon closer inspection, a much smaller figure was curled up between them. Wider still, the grin grew. This was just too easy, it was tantalizing. He couldn't understand why the Promoter hadn't allowed him to kill all three right then and there. But then again, the Uber Monk supposed, Tamaki's plans always had happy endings.

Menacingly as you please, the Undertaker strode silently into the room, coming to a halt right next to the crowded bed. They looked so damn peaceful, he noted. However, he knew that it was all a lie. No one could be truly peaceful until they had their souls ripped out of their writhing, meaty prisons. Oh, how _badly_ he wanted to slay them all. Perhaps, if it proved useless after all, he would be allowed to kill the infant? All just a fantasy, he knew. Orders were orders.

With a disturbing tenderness, he lifted the small child out from under the covers, pausing afterwards to observe the parents and make sure they were still sound asleep. As he did this, he noticed that Crow shifted quite a bit, and his eyebrows twitched a couple times. The Undertaker frowned. He was waking up. Slowly, but surely. That could not happen. Holding the sound-asleep infant in one arm, he produced a syringe. A clear liquid was contained inside, enough to keep both of the Deadmen asleep well into the next day, which was more than enough for the man's purposes. Positioning the needle at the right spot, he inserted it into Crow's neck, injecting only the amount desired; too much would have fatal consequences. At once, the Deadman relaxed, and the Uber Monk grinned again. Then, for good measure, he injected Woodpecker as well, although a bit less, as he was obviously more susceptible to drugs and the like, what with his small body and all.

He turned from the two effectively knocked-out Deadmen, their child cradled in his arm. As he left the room, his grin, naturally, widened. Perfect. Everything had gone just perfect.

**xxx**

When the teenage Deadman awoke, he knew immediately that something was wrong.

Even before he shifted his hand and felt a cold absence where his child should have been, he knew something was wrong.

His dark eyes snapped open, and he was sitting upright a split second after, frantically looking back and forth for little, defenseless Harumi. His baby. His baby was missing. _Missing_. Thoroughly distraught, he began to shake Senji's bare shoulders, desperately trying to wake his lover up.

"Senji! Senji! Wake up! Please wake up! Harumi's missing! She's missing, Senji! Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

But the only response he received was a small grunt from the older Deadman. Undeterred and growing more frantic with each passing minute, Ganta tried again to rouse him, shaking him harder and harder, voice steadily rising, until the eyes of his lover fluttered open and he sat up at last, alert flashing across his features.

"What's that, Kid? She's go-" he cut off his question when he looked down at the space between them. The _empty_ space between them. _Fuck._

At once, Ganta was out of the bed and jogged over to the bathroom, peeking in, not seeing his child, then heading straight for the door of the room without another word to Senji. Senji did not appreciate this at all. He caught up with Ganta before he left the room, placing a rough, tan hand on his slim shoulder. "Whaddya think you're doing, Kid?"

Instantly, the teen whirled around to face the ex-cop, panic and despair welling up in his dark, wide eyes. "I'm going to find my child!" he exclaimed, voice faltering throughout. He was shaking, the older Deadman noticed. Shaking and paler than usual.

Senji saw how close his lover was to an all-out panic-attack, so he pulled him close and spoke in a low, soothing murmur, trying his best to calm Ganta down. "There there, Ganta. Everything will be fine. We'll find where she went, don't worry. She probably just wandered off somewhere, or maybe that white-haired chick took her out some place to play. Either way, she can't be far, so just calm down. We need to think with level heads here." Thankfully, Ganta's frantic breathing seemed to have slowed, and his quivering died down. Senji furrowed his brows in concern nonetheless. They had to find her, and quickly, he knew. He didn't think Ganta would be able to handle this much longer. As for himself... well, Senji had assumed that _he_, of all people, would be the hysterical upset one. Instead, he found himself more level-headed than most people would have given him credit for. The reason for this was most likely the fact that Ganta was the one falling apart, and he felt, deep down, that he needed to be strong for his family. They needed him, now more than ever. And he'd be _damned_ if he wasn't going to own up to his responsibility.

At that moment, they heard a sound from above, and looked up just in time to see none other than Shiro descend from the ceiling vent with her normal graceful enthusiasm, landing lightly on her feet, a smile wide and bright upon her face.

"Ganta!" she exclaimed. "Come and dinner with Shiro!"

As the girl smiled happily, the lovers glanced at each other in confusion. Finally, Ganta voiced the question:

"Dinner? Shiro, what time is it?" he inquired, nervousness once again blatantly displaying itself on his childish face.

The albino girl tilted her head to one side and placed her mittened hands on her hips, regarding Ganta as if he were an idiot. "Time for _dinner, _stupid Ganta!" she answered, as though it were the most _obvious_ thing in the world. But to the two Deadmen, it came as a surprise.

Ganta looked back up at Senji, beginning to shake again. "It's that late? Senji, we slept this late? How? It doesn't make any sense!"

Senji rubbed the teen's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down before he went into a full-blown panic attack. Despite this, he had no choice but to voice his alarming conclusion. "It means someone must've drugged us in our sleep..."

His teen lover seemed even more distraught (if that was at all possible) at the revelation. "D-drugged?" he stammered, wishing he'd heard incorrectly. "You think we were _drugged, _Senji? That doesn't make any sense at all! Why would someone drug, us, Senji?"

The older Deadman looked back down at Ganta and murmured grimly, "They wanted Harumi, that's why." Anger began to show more and more on his face as he went on. "And I'll tell you who did it, too. Those damn _lackeys_ of that motherfucking _SON OF A BITCH PROMOTER! _That crazy, sick-ass bastard! I'll kill him! I'll-"

Shiro interjected with her late revelation. "BABY'S MISSING?" she screeched. All at once, her attitude changed. Now, she was angry, too. "Shiro will go find Baby Harumi for Ganta!" And then, true to her word and without a word more, she dashed out of the room and down the hallway to begin her search. Ganta didn't even watch her go.

Tears had started to brim in his dark eyes, and Senji tried to reign in his anger for the moment to reassure his lover. "It'll be fine, Kid. We'll find Harumi, and we'll find that fucker and make him pay, alright? We just gotta keep our cool." Ganta nodded and wiped his eyes. When he took his hand down, there was a piercing, fiery determination where once hurt and desperation had been.

"Okay," he murmured intently. "Let's go find 'em. Can't wait to beat the living _shit_ out of that psycho bastard-"

"'Fraid that just won't do, little sinner," came a much-hated voice from the doorway. The two whirled around to face the red-haired "Uber Monk", expressions red with utter loathing and hostility. But the man only grinned a sickening grin, and before either Deadman could make another motion, he'd pulled out his guitar and strummed a chord, an ear-splitting chord that seemed to make the air around the two waver and crack, as though the atmosphere were falling apart. Almost immediately, the Deadmen dropped to the floor, unconscious. For that was what the chord had been utilized for, despite its atrocious sound. Genkaku could not suppress a laugh. Perfect, all too perfect! Not even a ghost of a challenge, and phase two had already been put into action. He smirked. Was weakness the price of love and parenthood? It sure appeared to be. Either way, he supposed, as a few masked guards closed in to seize the Deadmen, they would all find out soon enough.

**xxx**

Ganta was rudely awakened by horridly bright lights that seemed to burn through his eyelids. Groggily, he sat up and opened his eyes to look at his surroundings. He was not pleased in the least bit by what he saw.

The cage.

He was in _the cage_.

And suddenly, everything came back to him in a painful rush: Harumi missing, panic, fear, anger, Senji, Shiro, yelling, drugging, Senji, Undertaker, song, falling, Senji-

_Senji._

He was up immediately, head turning from side to side, looking desperately for his lover. And oh, did his heart drop to the pits of his stomach when he saw him. Senji had awoken as well, and stood on the other side of the massive cage. And at once, everything made sense. Ganta scowled and turned his eyes upwards, yelling out at that damned promoter, wherever he was, "What the hell is this?! What're you trying to do, huh?!"

He heard an intercom click on, and that voice he so despise wafted from the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen," he crooned with the voice of an experienced announcer, and he went on sarcastically. "Prepare yourselves for a _tear jerking, heartbreaking_ battle betwixt two _loving parents_ for the life of their _precious little baby._ Have your tissues at the ready!" He laughed here, and was joined by several other voices of spectators who, somehow, managed to enjoy his sick humor. "Isn't this a _predicament?_ If they refuse, they forfeit the life of this _beautiful_ little thing~" A screen appeared, and on it was a video (whether it was live or not, Ganta couldn't tell- he wasn't sure if he wanted to) of... Harumi. The Deadmen's jaws dropped. They didn't want to believe it, but there she was, in a clear glass pen, crying her little eyes out. This seemed to further fuel the cackling of the crowd. The screen vanished, and Tamaki resumed speaking.

"And now, without further adieu..."

Ganta and Senji looked at each other, eyes wide with dismay. This couldn't be happening...

"Deadmen, bleed~"

...But it was.

**xxx**

_I thought I would submit a chapter over vacation. Never have I been so wrong. _

_Sorry bout that ^^" Aaaaanywho, please do review, as those, in all seriousness, make my day, and thank you to those that do. Until next time, my lovelies!_


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